126 - AAP Medical Council- and National Student Advocate-Led Workshop on Disability Advocacy for Trainees

Objectives: The aims of this session were for trainees to (1) to identify existing gaps in disability education at their institution and in policy around disability-related issues; (2) improve perceived ability to engage in disability-related education and policy-based advocacy; and (3) apply an intersectional lens to identify opportunities for intersectionality in disability advocacy.

Design: The session was created by medical student leaders across the country, including the AAP Medical Student Council and student advocates, with guidance from two physiatry advisors. Creators included both those who identified as disabled and as allies. The session included a pre-survey, introductory lecture, student-leader panel, small group discussions, peer-sharing, and post-survey. In February 2023, the workshop was held at the Association of Academic Physiatrists’ Annual Conference.

Results: Pre- and post-session responses were anonymously and voluntarily recorded via Qualtrics. There were 31 and 18 pre- and post-survey responses respectively. Twelve responses were matched via unique ID. Based on the matched data, after the workshop, participants overall were more likely to report being very/somewhat confident about their ability to identify gaps in disability education at their institution (75% vs 100%, p=0.008), policy around disability-related issues (41.7% vs 100%, p=0.003), and opportunities for intersectionality in disability advocacy (33.3% vs 91.7%, p=0.008). Participants were more likely to report being very/somewhat likely to engage in education-based, (58.3% vs 100%, p=0.005), policy-based, (16.7% vs 91.7%, p< 0.001) and intersectional disability advocacy (41.7% vs 91.7%, p=0.003). All post-survey responses (n = 18, 100%) strongly/somewhat agreed with the statements “I hope that this session will continue in future years” and “I think that other trainees would benefit from a similar course.”

Conclusions: The intended objectives of the session were achieved. This workshop has the potential to be an effective workshop for developing student advocacy. Future research should assess the translation of teachings into advocacy efforts.